EDC and Boston's Artists for Humanity to Transform STEM and Arts into STEAM Power

BOSTON, MA | EDC and the Boston-based Artists for Humanity (AFH) have received a $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation to help connect local youth to science, technology, engineering, and math, or STEM-related careers. The new project builds on AFH’s highly successful out-of-school art and design program for Boston youth.

EDC and AFH will work together to refine and disseminate AFH’s approach to connecting under-resourced youth to STEM study and future careers via their art-making. The new project, to be called STEAM Power (Authentic Art Making as a Vehicle for Connecting to STEM Learning and Careers), provides a natural way to motivate teens’ interest in STEM by drawing explicit connections between the artistic practices in the studio and the practices of STEM professionals, such as creative thinking, collaboration, and effective communication.

“This project will expand our understanding of ways to keep the STEM pipeline open for students who are underrepresented in the STEM workforce,” said EDC’s Lynn Goldsmith. “I am thrilled that AFH and EDC will be exploring the synergies between art and STEM.”

“We hope our youth artists will develop a view of STEM that expands their in-school experiences and helps them recognize their own STEM strengths,” said AFH founding Executive/Artistic Director Susan Rodgerson. “We look forward to developing activities that can be replicated and shared with in-school and out-of-school programs across the country. As an artist, I have personally experienced the interdisciplinary learning that comes from art-making, and I am excited to see what we discover.”

“We hope our youth artists will develop a view of STEM that expands their in-school experiences and helps them recognize their own STEM strengths,” said AFH founding Executive/Artistic Director Susan Rodgerson. “I am thrilled that AFH and EDC will be exploring the synergies between art and STEM, and we look forward to developing activities that can be replicated and shared with in-school and out-of-school programs across the country.”

To learn more, read the award announcement.

About EDC
EDC designs, implements, and evaluates programs to improve education, health, and economic opportunity worldwide. Visit www.edc.org.

About AFH
Artists for Humanity’s mission is to bridge economic, racial, and social divisions by providing under-resourced urban youth with the keys to self-sufficiency through paid employment in art and design. Visit www.afhboston.org.